SAMMn in the News

Winters said that while the cannabis plant does appear to have some medical benefits, he believes that “the risk of moving marijuana to a legal substance would be much greater than any possible benefits.” “We already have a lot of problems with the two legal substances (alcohol and tobacco), so … we would just be adding more problems if we legalize another so-called intoxicant,” he said. He cited a 2014 review paper from the National Institute on Drug Abuse that showed long-term or heavy marijuana use increases risk for addiction, alters brain development in a negative way and has the potential to lead to cognitive impairments.

Garofalo hosted pro-legalization advocate and former Republican state Sen. Branden Petersen and Ken Winters, the research advisor for anti-commercial marijuana legalization group Smart Approaches to Marijuana Minnesota, at Farmington High School for about 60 people.

“Commonsense won the day with the defeat of this reckless bill,” said Kim Bemis, Chairman of SAM MN. “With the long list of ill effects seen from the handful of states that have went down the road of legalization, it is unfathomable that lawmakers would even consider it a possibility.”

Dr. Ken Winters from Smart Approaches to Marijuana Minnesota joined Senator Michelle Benson, Jason Tarasek-Minnesota political director for the Marijuana Policy Project and Representative Mike Freiberg to discuss recreational marijuana legalization in Minnesota. You can watch it here (tune in at 1:01:45).

A roundtable meeting between Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office and the various groups taking a public stand on the legislation issue, including opposition group, Smart Approaches to Marijuana Minnesota joined the conversation.

On Twin Cities Public Television, Almanac featured a debate between State Senator Melisa Franzen, a strong supporter of cannabis legalization, and cannabis opponent, Kim Bemis, chair of the group Smart Approaches to Marijuana Minnesota.

January 21, 2019:

Smart Approaches to Marijuana MN Group. Efforts are under way this legislative session to get recreational marijuana legalized in Minnesota. A local volunteer is part of a movement to try to make sure it is not legalized.

Legislators begin pushing marijuana legalization measures. A group called Smart Approaches to Marijuana Minnesota, with the stated mission of “stopping marijuana from becoming the next Big Tobacco,” held a news conference at the Capitol last week including law enforcement and people negatively affected by marijuana — only to be shouted down by pro-legalization demonstrators.

January 17, 2019:Mother Who Lost Son Shut Down By Marijuana Advocates. Things got intense at the Minnesota Capitol when Sandy Melville spoke about how her opposition to marijuana is based on her losing her son in a fatal car accident caused by the inebriated driver. Pro-Marijuana protesters attempted to shut down her testimony as Melville spoke.

December 28, 2018: Our group’s chair, Kim Bemis, and research advisor, Dr. Ken Winters, appeared on the Justice & Drew Show on Twin Cities News Talk (KTLK) AM1130. The holiday guest host, Brian McDaniel, welcomed them to have a discussion and share their stance about marijuana. You can listen to the episode, below: